Determination by ICP-MS of Essential and Toxic Trace Elements in Gums and Carrageenans Used as Food Additives Commercially Available in the Portuguese Market

Gums and carrageenans are food additives widely used in food preparations to improve texture and as viscosifiers. Although they are typically added in small amounts, nowadays people tend to use more and more pre-prepared food. In this work, the content of a wide panel of trace elements in commercial products were analyzed. Carrageenans and gums (n = 13) were purchased in the Portuguese market and were from European suppliers. Samples were solubilized by closed-vessel microwave-assisted acid digestion and analyzed by ICP-MS. Globally, the content of essential trace elements decreased in the following order: Fe (on average, on the order of several tens of mu g/g) > Mn > Zn > Cr > Cu > Co > Se > Mo (typically < 0.1 mu g/g), while the content of non-essential/toxic trace elements decreased in the following order: Al > Sr > Rb > As > Li > Cd > Pb > Hg. The consumption of these food additives can significantly contribute to the daily requirements of some essential trace elements, namely Cr and Mo. The toxic trace elements Cd, As, Pb, and Hg were below the EU regulatory limits in all analyzed samples. Additional research is needed to define the potential risk of introducing toxic trace elements into food products through the use of these additives.

Automated summary

Gums and carrageenans are widely used food additives to improve texture and viscosity in food preparations. The content of trace elements in commercial products containing these additives was analyzed in this study. The consumption of these additives can contribute to the daily requirements of essential trace elements, but additional research is needed to assess the potential risk of introducing toxic trace elements.